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Praja Foundation:Delhi Police Department highlights

Prajafoundation White Paper on Crime in Delhi notes an 82% increase in theft in 2017-2018 over 2016-2017 #urbangovernance@FNFSouthAsia@EU_in_India.

Detailed government data has been delayed for over half a year with the #crimeinIndia report of the NCRB not being released @Prajafoundation@FNFSouthAsia@EU_in_India

As per the data through RTI by Praja Foundation from Delhi Police Department highlights that:

The highest number of cases registered is of theft, with 75,728 cases in 2017-18, which is an increase of 82% from the previous year i.e. 2016-17.

Incidences of rape continue to be high in Delhi, with 2,207 cases of rape reported in 2017-18, a 3% increase from the year i.e. 2016-17.

In 2017-18, of the total number of kidnapping cases (5,757) registered in Delhi, 65% of the victims were women. Out of the total abduction cases (496) registered in Delhi for the year 2017-18, 63% of the victims were women.

There has been an increase in cases registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act from 2016-17 to 2017-18 i.e. 991 to 1,137. 52% of cases out of total rape cases are reported under POCSO Act in 2017-18.

As of March 2018, Positions of Additional Commissioner of Police (-45%), Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (-43%), Assistant Commissioner of Police (-43%) and Police Sub – Inspector (-31%) had the highest shortfall.

In a survey commissioned by Praja to Hansa Research of 28,624 households across Delhi, it was found that:

40% of the respondents do not feel secure in Delhi whereas 50% feel that Delhi is not secure for women, children and senior citizens.

68% of respondents who witnessed crime and informed police were not satisfied with response of police officials while 67% of those who faced crime and informed police were not satisfied with police’s response.

From the respondents who faced crime in Delhi, 64% used the police helpline numbers like 100 to inform the police while only 5% actually visited the police station and registered an FIR.

New Delhi, February 21, 2019: Praja Foundation released its report on the ‘State of Policing and Law & Order’ in Delhi at an event on Thursday, February 21, 2019.

Praja’s household survey commissioned to Hansa Research states that 40% of the people living in Delhi feel unsafe whereas 14% of people living in Mumbai feel the same.

“The number of rape cases reported in Delhi is rising with 2,207 cases of rape reported in 2017-18, there is a 3% increase from the previous year i.e. 2016-17. Out of the total number of kidnapping and abduction cases registered in Delhi in 2017-18, 65% and 63% of the victims were women respectively”, said Milind Mhaske, Director at Praja Foundation.

In 2017-18, 52% of rape cases out of the total number of rape cases were registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The survey data also highlights that 50% of the total respondents in Delhi feel that the city is not secure for women, children and senior citizens. Adding to this, no questions were raised by the Members of Parliament (MPs) on issues related to women in sessions starting from Monsoon 2017 to Budget 2018.

In last five years from FY 2014-15 to FY 2017-18, the highest number of cases reported were that of theft 75,728 cases in 2017-18, which is an increase of 82% from the previous year i.e. 2016-17. North West District reported the highest registration of theft (8,641) in the year 2017-18.

“Our data shows that apart from increasing crimes, there is shortage of police personnel in the Delhi Police department. As of March 2018, positions of Additional Commissioner of Police (-45%), Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (-43%), Assistant Commissioner of Police (-43%) and Police Sub – Inspector (-31%) have the highest shortfall”, added Mhaske.

Emphasising on the massive shortage in police personnels, Nitai Mehta, Founder and Managing Trustee of Praja Foundation said “Such a shortage directly affects the investigation and law and order of the city.”

Our household data survey also indicates the dissatisfaction of respondents towards the response of the police officials. 68% of respondents who witnessed crime and informed police were not satisfied with response of police officials while 67% of those who faced crime and informed police were not satisfied with police’s response.

“Moreover, the ‘Crime in India’ report by National Crime Records Bureau, which maintains and tracks the number of pending cases, acquittals and convictions in court, is not out for this year. This makes it difficult to monitor and track the registered cases”, Mehta added.

NCRB’s role is to generate and maintain sharable National Databases on crimes and criminals for law enforcement agencies and uphold their use for public service delivery. These Crime Statistics are imperative for upholding law and order in the country and form a major tool for Police Force to prevent and detect crimes in India. But the delay in reports every year compromises the efficient functioning of the police officials and prevention of crimes in India.

“This shows that there is a need to create a strong awareness campaign against sexual abuse of the children with all the stakeholders i.e. police, elected representatives, legal professionals, children, parents, schools and colleges etc.” said Mehta.

It is imperative to fill up gaps in the sanctioned and available strengths of the police force at the level of the Investigating Officers for better investigation and maintenance of law & order. Increased involvement of the Elected Representatives by questioning the government on law & order and security is needed. Moreover, ‘Crime in India’ report should be published on a timely basis for better monitoring, analysis and prevention of crimes in India.

About PRAJA Foundation:

PRAJA was founded in 1997 by a group of eight Mumbaiites with a vision to re-establish accountability and transparency in governance. These individuals were fuelled by a concern about a general lack of interest among the Citizens’ in the local government. Praja aims to create awareness among the citizens, and therefore empower them though the knowledge.

PRAJA believes that the availability of information can go a long way towards simplifying people’s lives and evoking participation. This aims to ensure a holistic approach for ushering good governance must have buy in of our ideas from the elected representatives. At the same time, there should be tools and mechanisms which enable citizens to keep a close watch on the work done by their elected representatives.

PRAJA’s goals are simplifying people’s lives, empowering the citizens and government with facts and creating instruments of change to improve the quality of life of citizens in India. PRAJA is committed to creating an accountable and efficient society through people’s participation.